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Wednesday, December 17, 2014

The White House recently invited travel bloggers to attend the White House Travel Blogger Summit on Study Abroad and Global Citizenship which was held on December 9, 2014. When I heard rumors of the top 100 travel bloggers being invited to the White House for this prestigious event, I asked to see the list of the Top 100 Travel Bloggers which was not necessarily the same as the White House invitee list. However the Top 100 Travel Bloggers List did not include one Black or African American Travel Blogger. Upon further investigation as to which bloggers of color received an invite to this ground-breaking travel promotion event, it was revealed there were no Black or African American Travel Bloggers invited to this White House Travel Blogger Summit. I stated to the travel blogging community of whom are predominantly white that the list lacked Black People. Their responses were that Black Travel Bloggers lack the statistics and influence of White Travel Bloggers. We did not measure up to their metrics for the Top 100 Travel Bloggers List. Some of the bloggers inquired as to whom should be included on the list this verifying stats. I mentioned some top influential Black Travel Bloggers that I know personally as I don’t have stats of their readership available. Despite suggestions of possible candidates, not one Black Travel Blogger was present. The travel blogging community encourages black travel bloggers to keep trying, work harder and maybe next year you will make it. This group also stated that none of the black travel bloggers has the reach level of influence of Johnny Jet or Nomadic Matt. We pointed out to this travel blogging community that Blacks desire to learn about travel from people who look like them. Traveling while Black is an experience that can only be shared by a Black person. Despite a very heated debated Black Travel Bloggers were snubbed by the travel blogging community and not invited to the White House Travel Blogger Summit. This is unacceptable from a travel community group of people who are suppose to have a multicultural viewpoint from their travel experiences. White Privilege still exists in the travel blogging community. I am not sure how many of the travel bloggers who attended the summit participated in study abroad programs. If the Top 100 Travel Bloggers had that opportunity to study abroad, then it should have exposed them to be understanding and inclusive of other cultures, especially Black Travel Bloggers. These are turbulent times as America faces racial injustice of the murder daily of unarmed Black people in our society. One solution to America’s problem of racism and White Privilege is the study abroad program. White America needs to engage with other cultures because most White Americans live in a world that encompasses a circle of 96% White friends and do not encounter Black people until college or the workforce. So college study abroad programs would truly benefit race relations in the United States. There is hope for our nation.

Evan Ryan, Asst. Secretary of the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs for the State Department (ECA) spoke to the invited travel bloggers. Sher referred to the group as “movers and shakers who share the same beliefs as we do of traveling abroad.”

Evan Ryan further stated that “20 million U.S. students in higher education they are represented as follows: 62% White, 14 % African American, 13% Hispanic, 7% Asian Pacific Islander, 1% Native American. Within overall study abroad the balance is more skewed at 76% White, 5% African American, 8% Hispanic, 7% Asian Pacific Islander, and less than 1% Native American. While we need to increase study abroad overall, we specifically need to ensure that students of all background including racial and ethnic as well as socioeconomic status are better represented. As it stands fewer minority students study abroad than are represented in higher education overall; over the past 15 years we have seen slight improvements in reaching more diverse students through study abroad between 2000 and 2012 minority representation in international study has seen an increase from 16% to 24% with over 68,000 minority students studying abroad over the 2012- 2013 academic year. We are making progress but we can do better to be more reflective of American society. While we must strive to improve diversity”....

If the bureau of education and cultural affairs is sincere in the desire to increase minority representation then invite African American Travel Bloggers to have a seat at the table.

Atlantic Impact increases opportunity in persistently low-achieving schools by using history, community engagement, and global exchange. Through experiential learning and student-led opportunities, youth develop college-ready skills that empower them to become the next generation of urban innovators.

During the school year our kids explore their communities, over the summer they go abroad!

A World Beyond Youth Exploration employs a unique approach. Students will be provided photography and videography training from industry experts in New York City. Those students will be paired with individual mentors and sent to five countries Europe for a three-week cultural immersion and skill building experience. Students will produce photography and journal entries that will be displayed in each of their communities in professional exhibits. This will not only show their peers what they have done, but inspire others in the community to strive for opportunities once thought impossible. The students work will then be compiled into a book for donors as a thank you for your support.

B.E.S.T. Academy High School is a single-gender, all boy, public high school located in the Bankhead area of Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The purpose of this blog is to keep family, friends, classmates, teachers, and funders informed about our annual study abroad trips. Most importantly we want to encourage others to overcome their fears of international travel and to think globally.

Girls Going Global will be a month long summer camp that exposes African American adolescents to the way other adolescent girls live throughout the world. Culture will be explored through food, language, religion, and the daily life of adolescent girls on the continents of South America, Asia, Africa, and Europe. The focus of this summer camp is to advocate for global engagement among adolescent girls and to educate them on the paths to global leadership.

The Passport Party Project is an award-winning grassroots initiative providing online global awareness training, first passports & first time international travel experiences to underserved American girls ages 11-15 in an effort to help create responsive and responsible global citizens.

Nomadness Travel Tribe is an urban travel movement that spans 8,000 members, and over three dozen countries. We're the edgy, under represented demo in the international travel industry, and we've formed our own Tribe. In the invitation-only platform, we share stories, advice, photos and conversation about our personal experiences around the world. We are the new age travel movement!

Renee and Nicole both felt it was important to share their journey of trotting the globe with friends, family and soon to be friends through the globe trot community. Between the two friends they have traveled to more than 20 countries and counting! I Luv 2 Globe Trot is a place for those that are already avid travelers to gain advice and for those interested in travel to learn about breaking free of the mold and living their life with purpose and travel. We want to inspire women, minorities and others alike to trot the globe!

Travel Noire is a digital publishing platform that creates tools and resources for the unconventional traveler. Founded by a Glamour Magazine award-winning entrepreneur, Travel Noire is a necessity in every traveler’s toolkit. We hand select the most amazing individuals from the African diaspora, who reside all over the globe, to share their love of culture and exploration with you—in the hopes that you will hop out of your neighborhood and across one (or a few) of the seven seas.

The White House Travel Blogger Summit

The White House has announced a study abroad program office to encourage all Americans to study in another country as part of their college life.

Ben Rhodes “inspirer of dreamers”, Assistant to President and Deputy National Security Adviser to the President for Strategic Communications and Speech Writing.

President Barack Obama expressed in the state of the union address a goal to “expand cultural and educational exchanges among young people to engage people around the world.”

Evan Ryan, Asst. Secretary of the Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs for the State Department (ECA) spoke to the invited travel bloggers. Sher referred to the group as “movers and shakers who share the same beliefs as we do of traveling abroad.”

“Travel opens door for youth, young to cross socioeconomic, cultural and geographic borders; to engage in people to people connections; to increase mutual understanding; and to collectively solve global challenges. The United States is a leader in many global fields including higher education. One of our goals at the state department is help ensure that young americans our next generation of leaders have the international skills they want and need for a globalized 21st century workforce. We know the interest is there, over half of U.S. students enter the university with the interest of studying abroad. However, fewer than 10% actually take part in the study abroad over their entire academic careers. In 2012 - 2013 the total number of U.S. students taking part in study abroad was under 300,000. On the surface, this number sounds terrific until you realize that this is only 1.5% of the almost 20 million American students enrolled in U.S. Higher Education during the same period. 1.5% percent is a very stunningly low number. Fifteen years ago there were nearly 130,000 US students studying abroad with this number more than doubling from 2012 to 2013 to 289,000. Yet with the current rate of annual growth which is approximately 2% it will take another 35 years to double again. This is not acceptable. We must do better and we can do better. American students face many real and perceived constraints to study abroad. They may be hesitant to take leave from the universities and colleges where they study, fearing a loss of progress towards their degree completion. For those who rely on income derived from employment both the short term loss of income as well as potential increased cost of education for study abroad may prove too daunting. It is always difficult to say goodbye to family and friends who may worry about your safety and security. It is also intimidating to navigate daily life in a foreign culture and language and students may also express concerns about missing out on events and activities while away from their home campuses. Nevertheless, we firmly believe that encouraging American students to study abroad is a strategic imperative for the United States. Responses from students who are returning from international experiences validate the importance of study abroad on a more personal level as well; of the 20 million U.S. students in higher education they are represented as follows: 62% White, 14 % African American, 13% Hispanic, 7% Asian Pacific Islander, 1% Native American. Within overall study abroad the balance is more skewed at 76% White, 5% African American, 8% Hispanic, 7% Asian Pacific Islander, and less than 1% Native American. While we need to increase study abroad overall, we specifically need to ensure that students of all background including racial and ethnic as well as socioeconomic status are better represented. As it stands fewer minority students study abroad than are represented in higher education overall; over the past 15 years we have seen slight improvements in reaching more diverse students through study abroad between 2000 and 2012 minority representation in international study has seen an increase from 16% to 24% with over 68,000 minority students studying abroad over the 2012- 2013 academic year. We are making progress but we can do better to be more reflective of American society. While we must strive to improve diversity and study abroad participation we must do likewise in the choice of destination. Fifteen years ago over 60% of U.S. students taking part in study abroad travel to Europe, followed by 15% to Latin America, and with single digits for all other regions of the world. The current picture of international studies show improvement with the greater diversity of study abroad destinations. As was the case 15 years ago, Europe remains the primary destination for Americans studying abroad. While overall numbers of Americans studying in Europe have increased the percentage has fallen actually from 63% to 53% over this time period. Even so, 32% of all U.S. students have taken part in U.S. study abroad currently travel to only 1 of 3 countries in Europe: the U.K., Italy, and Spain. Latin America, a focal point of the President’s 100,000 strong initiative which Ben mentioned has seen an increase over the last 15 years with an overall doubling in numbers currently standing at 16% and within the region Brazil had increased seven fold within the same period of time. Asia over the same time frame has seen considerable growth, doubling its share from 6% to 12% . China, another White House priority country for study abroad is only one of two countries over 15 years to rise into the top 10 destinations for U.S. students studying abroad with a significant increase from 2% to 5%. Fewer than 10% of US students taking advantage of study abroad opportunities that leaves over 90% of American students without this vital component as part of their education. We must strive to expand overall participation rate and study abroad, make to sure to further diversify student participation as to better reflect American society overall. We must ensure that Americans are learning about the people peoples and cultures across the entire world, not just a handful of countries.

Why must more American study abroad? It is crucial for our country’s next generation of leaders to travel, live, work, intern or volunteer abroad in order to gain the skills needed to understand and operate within the global political and economic landscape of the 21st century.”

Join us on The Skychi Travel Guide Live on Tuesday, December 16, 2014 at 7 pm CST as we discuss study abroad experiences from the black perspective.

The White House recently invited travel bloggers to attend the White House Travel Blogger Summit on Study Abroad and Global Citizenship which was held on December 9, 2014. When I heard rumors of the top 100 travel bloggers being invited to the White House for this prestigious event, I asked to see the list of the Top 100 Travel Bloggers which was not necessarily the same as the White House invitee list. However the Top 100 Travel Bloggers List did not include one Black or African American Travel Blogger. Upon further investigation as to which bloggers of color received an invite to this ground-breaking travel promotion event, it was revealed there were no Black or African American Travel Bloggers invited to this White House Travel Blogger Summit. I stated to the travel blogging community of whom are predominantly white that the list lacked Black People. Their responses were that Black Travel Bloggers lack the statistics and influence of White Travel Bloggers. We did not measure up to their metrics for the Top 100 Travel Bloggers List. Some of the bloggers inquired as to whom should be included on the list this verifying stats. I mentioned some top influential Black Travel Bloggers that I know personally as I don’t have stats of their readership available. Despite suggestions of possible candidates, not one Black Travel Blogger was present. The travel blogging community encourages black travel bloggers to keep trying, work harder and maybe next year you will make it. This group also stated that none of the black travel bloggers has the reach level of influence of Johnny Jet or Nomadic Matt. We pointed out to this travel blogging community that Blacks desire to learn about travel from people who look like them. Traveling while Black is an experience that can only be shared by a Black person. Despite a very heated debated Black Travel Bloggers were snubbed by the travel blogging community and not invited to the White House Travel Blogger Summit. This is unacceptable from a travel community group of people who are suppose to have a multicultural viewpoint from their travel experiences. White Privilege still exists in the travel blogging community. I am not sure how many of the travel bloggers who attended the summit participated in study abroad programs. If the Top 100 Travel Bloggers had that opportunity to study abroad, then it should have exposed them to be understanding and inclusive of other cultures, especially Black Travel Bloggers. These are turbulent times as America faces racial injustice of the murder daily of unarmed Black people in our society. One solution to America’s problem of racism and White Privilege is the study abroad program. White America needs to engage with other cultures because most White Americans live in a world that encompasses a circle of 96% White friends and do not encounter Black people until college or the workforce. So college study abroad programs would truly benefit race relations in the United States. There is hope for our nation.

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Mundelein College which is now part of Loyola University was instrumental in preparing me for a GAP Year Study Abroad in Paris, France. A GAP Year is a transition period during which many young adults travel after graduating from college or university instead of entering the workforce immediately. This very popular practice in Europe which many parents give their young adults money to backpack through Europe for a year.

Villiiers Metro Stop Map in Paris

My French Professor Sister Elsa Copeland taught us to speak French fluently and encouraged us to study abroad. Sister Elsa would say that in order to keep the French language that it is necessary to live the language for one year. Sister Elsa was our personal study abroad program. We were a small class of five students. Jacque was French; Annick was Belgian; Gigi was American; Renarde Black American; Hiromi was Japanese and myself. Sister Elsa mentored us to all travel after we graduated from college which exactly what happened. There was no doubt for us about traveling, money was not a conversational topic. Sister Elsa walked us through the process and the money appeared. Everything just lined up.

During my Mundelein College years I lived at home in the South Shore area of Chicago and would drive to the northside for my classes. I would go some days to the language lab to spend hours listening and repeating French conversations. At home I would practice reading French dialogues while cooking in the kitchen. I would spend hours listening to French conversational cassette tapes.

Sister Elsa individually perfected our pronunciation of the French language by correcting the placement of our tongue and the shape of our lips. She would hold our hands to her throat as she uttered French vowels and consonants. During our lessons she would talk to us about studying abroad.

These are some of the tips that Sister Elsa taught us to prepare for our GAP Year Study Abroad:

1. Contact the embassy or consulate for a list of schools and courses to research

There are many types of language immersion options other than a traditional university. If you don't have the funds for university in another country then seek out inexpensive language courses at an institute.

2. Request a paper map of the city you plan to live and get to know the communities

You can put the map on your wall and study the layout of the city before you arrive. If you a solo female traveler contact the consulate to find out which neighborhoods are the safest to look for lodging.

3. Create a vision board or dream board of your study abroad

Pinterest is a great tool to collect your photos of the city in which you desire to study abroad and you can save blogs and articles too.

4 Apply for student discount cards for access to museums before you travel abroad

Nomadness Travel Tribe is an urban travel movement that spans 8,000 members, and over three dozen countries. We're the edgy, under represented demo in the international travel industry, and we've formed our own Tribe. In the invitation-only platform, we share stories, advice, photos and conversation about our personal experiences around the world. We are the new age travel movement!

Renee and Nicole both felt it was important to share their journey of trotting the globe with friends, family and soon to be friends through the globe trot community. Between the two friends they have traveled to more than 20 countries and counting! I Luv 2 Globe Trot is a place for those that are already avid travelers to gain advice and for those interested in travel to learn about breaking free of the mold and living their life with purpose and travel. We want to inspire women, minorities and others alike to trot the globe!

Travel Noire is a digital publishing platform that creates tools and resources for the unconventional traveler. Founded by a Glamour Magazine award-winning entrepreneur, Travel Noire is a necessity in every traveler’s toolkit. We hand select the most amazing individuals from the African diaspora, who reside all over the globe, to share their love of culture and exploration with you—in the hopes that you will hop out of your neighborhood and across one (or a few) of the seven seas.RelatedWhy The White House Conference Was Mostly White?

The Skychi Travel Guide Live is a digital platform which broadcasts on youtube to inform travelers on tips about how to travel to destinations, booking vacations, and navigating air travel. Janice Temple is the host of the show that interviews travel media industry for the latest advice.

Monday, December 8, 2014

Trinity United Church of Christ Chicago celebrated its 53rd Anniversary on Sunday, December 7, 2014 with a peaceful solidarity protest #BlackLivesMatter lead by our Pastor, Rev. Otis Moss III and his wife First Lady Monica Moss. We chanted and marched from the church down 95th Street to the Red Line Train Station. TUCC was one of several churches to protest on this Sunday in wake of the Eric Garner non- indictment of the police officer who choked him to death in New York City. and the shooting death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo. by a police officer who was also not indicted by a grand jury.

I have been sharing on social media the videos, photos and articles since August of this year when the Ferguson police attempted to blackout the media by shooting at their camera equipment and damaging their battery pack. The Ferguson Police did not want the story to get out about their attack on the Ferguson Canfield Residents where Mike Brown who was unarmed was shoot by a police officer. The police allowed Mike Brown's body to lie on the ground for 4.5 hours in view of the Canfield Residents. It was subtle signal to the residents that this could be you.

The members of TUCC Chicago lead Rev. Otis Moss III and his wife First Lady Monica Moss participated in a die-in at the 95th Street Red Line Station for 4.5 minutes to represent the 4.5 hours that Mike Brown laid on the ground after his death.

Peaceful protest begin in Ferguson with residents chanting "Hand Up Don't Shoot" which symbolizes Mike Brown's surrender to the police as he was shot to death by the police officer. We also chanted "Black Lives Matter" which is a statement demanding that White America recognize that the lives of Black People are not equally valued in the United States of America.

Pastor Otis Moss III lead the hundreds of church members who participated in the peaceful protest in prayer and the youth spoke about the number of Black lives that are lost every hour to police shootings.

My thoughts are that Black Lives Matter because we are all God's children. The color of our skin should not be a death warrant in America. Black people deserve education and jobs. We live in Chicago, a city in which our Mayor Rahm Emmanuel closed 50 schools effecting 10,000 students many who fear going to school. This past summer 96% of Black youth ages 16 to 24 years old were unemployed, the lack of education and jobs are also hurting us. We protest for a better future for our youth just as we protested in the 1960's.

America has broken its promises once again of civil rights, the civil rights act was temporary it was not a law. America has taken back out civil rights. During the 1960's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. lead a March on Washington and lead marches around cities in America to fight for education, jobs, housing and equality. White America has turned its back on those promises. Today White America refuses to fund education for Black People through the tax laws. White America closes our schools and builds jail cells based on the number of black and brown students who can not read in the third grade. The prisons are the new slave plantations with new chains taking away our freedom. Once the protests have stopped will the same thing happen again? Will the 1964 Civil Rights Act become a law? Will White America change the tax laws to fund the education of African American and Latino children? Will the building and funding of prisons instead of schools stop? Will the killing by police of our black bodies stop? Will White America cure itself of the mental illness of racism and truly make Black Lives Matter?

[Question]: What are the races or countries of origins of the African or African American faces on the back of the Library of Congress building? The tour guide mentioned there are 33 races on Library of Congress. I took photos of all them. I really would like to know what the 3 races represented on the building? What are the 5 African races on the back of the building?

I received this response on January 26, 2013:

Dear Ms. Temple:

Thank you very much for your inquiry. While we are always here to advise and refer, we do not perform basic and other types of research for the public or answer classroom assignments.

In response to your query on the ethnological faces on the back of Library of Congress, you may wish to consult the Library's publication On These Walls by John Cole which is available via the Internet at http://www.loc.gov/walls/intro.html.

We hope you find this information useful.

Very truly yours,

Angel D. Batiste, Ph.D.

Area Specialist

Theses are the some of my findings from my research:

The Library of Congress was completed in 1897 to display America's Cultural Nationalism. The separate building was suggested by Librarian of Congress Ainsworth Rand Spofford in 1871. Today the main building is known as the Thomas Jefferson Building for its founder. The Library of Congress was a showcase of American achievement surpassing the grandeur of European Libraries. This building inspired America's optimism for the future.

"Today it is recognized as a unique blending of art and architecture, a structure that celebrates learning, nationalism, and American turn-of-the-century confidence and optimism. The Jefferson Building also reflects its own time and prejudices. It emphasizes the achievements of western civilization, and most of the names and images on its walls evoke a society dominated by western thought."

Library of Congress Front Ethnological Head

The Ethnological Heads

"One of the Jefferson Building's most striking exterior features are the thirty-three ethnological heads that surround it, serving as keystone ornaments of the first story windows. Otis T. Mason, curator of the Department of Ethnology in the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, was the special advisor for this project. In Herbert Small's 1897 Handbook of the New Library of Congress, this undertaking is described as "the first instance of a comprehensive attempt to make ethnological science contribute to the architectural decoration of an important public building." The heads themselves, created by William Boyd and Henry Jackson Ellicott, were based on information provided by Professor Mason. The list of the races represented, as described by Small, and the location of the keystones follow.

Starting at the north end of the front entrance pavilion, the first head is that of a Russian Slav, located beneath the portico bust of Demosthenes. Continuing across the west front, the heads are: Blonde European; Brunette European; Modern Greek; Persian (Iranian);

So Old Tom was correct that The Library of Congress depicts a Blonde European and a Brunette European races.

Library of Congress Interior

The Scientific Racism system employed by Otis T. Mason, curator of Ethnology for the National Museum of Natural History. He believed in German anthropologist Gustav Friedrich Klemm theory that European Culture is "active" and everyone is "passive". Klemm also believed in a stepwise evolution of cultures leading to technology as a representation of a culture's stage of development. This theory was dismissed as chauvinistic and unfounded.

The Ethnology beliefs of that late 1890's and 1900's were the theme of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair or Columbian Exposition in Chicago which was attended by 27 million people.

"The 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago provided General Casey, his architect son Edward, and Bernard Green with an example of a cooperative artistic endeavor that combined architecture, sculpture, and painting, and there are many similarities and parallels between the Chicago Exposition and the Library building. Both are artistic ventures on a massive scale and, for the most part, in the same Beaux-Arts design tradition. Many of the artists who contributed works to the Library building either helped design the imperial facades of the Chicago Exposition or exhibited their works within its pavilions; moreover, many of them repeated the idealistic themes and togaed likenesses they produced in Chicago."

St. Louis Forest Park Grand Basin

The 1904 St. Louis World's Fair also known as the Louisiana Purchase Exposition displayed an Ethnology Exhibition just like the Chicago Columbian Exposition. The buildings of the St. Louis World’s Fair also were designed the Beaux Arts style."Historians generally emphasize the prominence of themes of race and empire, and the fair's long-lasting impact on intellectuals in the fields of history, art history, architecture and anthropology." It is stated that "19,694,855 individuals were in attendance at the fair.[3]"People on Exhibit at the St. Louis World Fair

"The American businessman and explorer Samuel Phillips Verner traveled to Africa in 1904 under contract from the Louisiana Purchase Exposition (St. Louis World Fair) to bring back an assortment of pygmies to be part of an exhibition.[6] To demonstrate the fledgling discipline of anthropology, the noted scientist W. J. McGee intended to display "representatives of all the world's peoples, ranging from smallest pygmies to the most gigantic peoples, from the darkest blacks to the dominant whites" to show what was commonly thought then to be a sort of cultural evolution.[7]"

The Chicago World's Fair and St. Louis World's Fair had Ethnological Expositions of countries based on scientific racism ("of then popular evolutionary approaches to the study of culture, which say all societies progressing through a set of hierarchic technological and cultural , stages with Western-European Culture at the summit.")After my tours of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.; the former location of St. Louis World's Fair at Forest Park; and the Museum of Science and Industry in my hometown Chicago, I realized the connection to scientific racism that exists in these places today. Chicago is still one of most segregated cities in America as a result of hosting the Chicago World's Fair in 1893 and St. Louis has similar racial tensions due the hosting of the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904.It is interesting to note that Thomas Jefferson, U.S. third president who initiated the Louisiana Purchase has been honored with the naming of main building of the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building and The Jefferson Memorial Building or The Missouri History Museum in St. Louis.

"From the 17th century, Virginia and other colonies passed laws making the children of

slave mothers born into slavery, regardless of their paternity and of how much European

ancestry they had. The term white slaves was used for those mixed-race or mulatto slaves

with a high proportion of European ancestry. Among the most notable were Sally